Secrets Revealed
by sinjinh1
Summary: Blair joins the Cascade Police Department and discovers his entire life is based on a lie.


May 22, 1999

Blair Sandburg smiled as he exited the elevator and headed toward Major Crimes. It was something he had done for four years as an observer with the department, but today was the first day he would be walking through the doors as Detective Blair Sandburg. He had insisted the day Simon offered him the position that he wouldn't cut his hair. But as his training at the academy progressed, he got tired of pulling it into a ponytail every day.

He would have walked in with Jim, but he had to fill out paperwork with personnel first. He cringed as he thought of the first time he had filled out paperwork and Garrett Kincaid had taken over the building. He stood in front of the door to Major Crimes and smiled as he opened the door.

He looked around and saw his friends working at their desks. "Hey guys," he said as he looked at Rafe and Brown.

"Hairboy!" Brown said as he looked up from his desk.

"Detective Sandburg," Rafe said as he got up and clapped Blair's back. "I hear your scores at the academy were better than H's."

"And yours," Joel said as he joined them. "We're all very proud of you, Blair."

"Thanks Joel," he said as Simon and Jim came out of Simon's office.

"Detective Sandburg, I expect my detectives to report for duty ready to go out on the streets," Simon said, using his Captain's voice. "You seem to be missing two vital pieces of equipment."

"What's that, Sir?" Blair asked.

"These Chief," Jim said as he brought a gun and badge around from behind his back.

Blair smiled a little as he took the items from his partner. "I have a good excuse, Captain. I didn't have these until just now."

"Get to work, Sandburg," Simon said as he put a cigar in his mouth.

"Yes Sir," Blair said as he and Jim headed for their desks.

They had been working on reports for an hour when a messenger came into the bullpen. Rhonda walked up to him. "May I help you?"

"I have a package for Detective Sandburg."

Blair stood up. "I'm Detective Sandburg."

"Sign here, please," the messenger said as he handed Blair a clipboard.

He signed and returned the clipboard and received the package.

"Who's it from Chief?" Jim asked.

"Naomi," Blair said as he sat down and opened the package. "It's a photo album."

"Looks like there's a note," Jim said as he took the photo album and started to look through it.

Blair looked at the note then grabbed the album. Jim watched as Blair looked through the album and sat back shocked. "Oh my God."

"What is it, Chief?" Jim asked as their fellow detectives looked over at the former anthropologist.

"It's my father," he said softly. He handed the note to Jim.

"My darling Blair," Jim read. "Ever since you were old enough to ask, you have wanted to know who your father is. I always told you I wasn't sure. Sweetheart, I lied. I've always known who your father was. His name is MacGyver. We met in college then he got drafted. He shipped out for Vietnam the month after you were born. His picture is in the photo album. You can see the love and pride in his eyes as he's holding you. He saw the press conference, Blair. He wants to meet you. He's made reservations at the Cascade Manor for the 22nd. Love, Mom."

Blair looked over at Jim. "What should I do?"

Jim looked at the calendar. "Naomi's timing could be better. Today's the 22nd. I don't know Chief. But if you want to meet him, I'll go with you."

"Yeah, that would be great," Blair said as he looked up. "I'm okay guys. I just got some interesting news. Excuse me."

Jim listened as Blair headed toward the men's room. He heard his guide splash water on his face. He knew Blair would stay in there for a few minutes to process what he had learned. He plugged the name MacGyver into the computer. He was sure it wasn't a common name. He was right. It only took a minute for the computer to come up with a short list of names. He checked the pictures in the files with the photos in the album, mentally adding 30 years to the man's face.

After two or three hits, he found the face he was looking for. A. MacGyver, born and raised in Mission City, Minnesota. Worked demolitions in the Army. Then worked for the DXS followed by the Phoenix Foundation.

"Is he clean?" came Blair's voice from behind him.

Jim closed his eyes, then turned to face his friend. "Blair, I…"

Blair held up his hand. "No, Jim. No explanations. You were just trying to protect me. I was going to do the same thing myself."

Jim nodded and showed Blair what he had found. The file had everything his father had done professionally for the last 30 years. His personal history was another story. Blair sighed then he called the hotel and arraigned to meet MacGyver at the hotel restaurant at four.

Jim left Blair at the bar as his friend entered the restaurant. Blair knew that Jim would be there if he needed him. As Blair walked into the restaurant, he saw a man stand up. He recognized MacGyver from the picture in the computer file. He gave Jim a small nod and headed toward the table.

"I wasn't sure you would recognize me," MacGyver said as he motioned for Blair to sit.

"Jim found your file in our computer," Blair explained.

"Jim?"

"Jim Ellison. He's my partner at the PD."

"Ah."

"I wasn't sure you would recognize me either," Blair said as he touched the back of his head.

"Haircuts are part of growing up," MacGyver said laughing a little. "I didn't cut mine until I was 45."

"Yeah, I guess I've done a lot of growing up in the last year," Blair said sighing a little.

"Blair, I know Naomi told you I saw the press conference," MacGyver said as the waiter brought them menus. "I wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you for what you did."

"You're proud of me?" Blair asked surprised.

"It took a lot of courage and strength to stand there and tell the world that you were a fraud," MacGyver stated. "You sacrificed your career and everything you worked for for your friend. You lied to the world to be able to live in peace."

"How do you know I lied?" Blair asked nervously.

"I could see it in your eyes," MacGyver explained. "And I could hear it in your voice."

"Glad you were the only one," Blair laughed a little.

"I wasn't," MacGyver said as he looked Blair in the eye. "Your brother saw it as well."

"My brother?" he asked surprised.

"His name is Sam and he's about four years younger than you," MacGyver explained. "Before I tell you about him, I'm sure you're wondering why I never looked for you and your mother."

"The thought had crossed my mind," Blair said as the waiter came over and took their drink orders.

"When I got back from Vietnam, I went back to college. Naomi was gone. No one knew where she was. Your mother and great-grandfather convinced me to finish school before I went to look for you. They knew about you, but they also knew that I needed to finish my education. Not just for me, but for you. You wouldn't have wanted me for a father right after I got back."

"Because of what you saw over there," Blair concluded.

"Exactly," MacGyver nodded. 'Kate, Sam's mother, helped me through that time. She helped find the person I lost over there. We were going to look for you together. We were in love, Blair. You need to understand that the time I spent with Naomi was great, but we would have never gotten married."

"Naomi's not the marrying type," Blair said smiling a little. "She likes to move around. She likes her freedom. You didn't marry Kate?"

"We weren't ready after graduation," MacGyver sighed. "She was a photojournalist and got an assignment in Brazil. And I wanted to try and find you. She never told me about Sam. She was killed in China when he was nine."

"I'm sorry," Blair said as he saw the sad expression on the older man's face.

"Thanks," he said smiling a little. "I tracked down Naomi's brother, but he wouldn't tell me where you were. Or he didn't know. I eventually stopped looking. Not because I didn't want to find you. I stopped because I was recruited by the DXS and I knew that if the wrong people found out I had a son, they would use you to get to me. Sam's not even listed in my file. But when I saw the press conference, I knew I had to contact you somehow. I knew it would be better if I asked Naomi to help, so I tracked her down. She was in LA. She as actually having a reading done by a friend of mine."

"How did you find Sam?" Blair asked. 'And what does he know about me?"

"I told him that he had a brother not long after we met," MacGyver stated. "We went on a trip to get to know each other better and after we got back to LA, he suggested that I start to look for you again. He pointed out that you were an adult now and capable of taking care of yourself."

Blair grinned. "Why do I have a feeling he's told you he can take care of himself."

"Guilty," MacGyver laughed. Then he started to tell Blair how he had met Sam.

Jim smiled as he took a sip of his drink. He was glad to see that things were going well between Blair and his father. He turned to his right and glanced at the young man sitting beside him. He smiled a little, then turned back to his drink.

"You came in with Blair," the young man said.

Jim looked up. "Yeah, I did."

"I'm his brother, Sam," he said as he extended his hand.

"Jim Ellison," he said as he shook hands with Sam. "You okay with all of this?"

"I helped Dad track down Blair's mother. I want to meet him. I know he has to get to know Dad first. You don't know what it's been like for Dad all these years."

"You don't know what it's been like for Blair," Jim countered.

"Yeah, I do," Sam sighed. "It's a long story, but Dad and I didn't find each other until a few years ago. And before you judge him, Dad didn't abandon me. He didn't abandon Blair either. He looked for him until his work made it dangerous for him to have a family."

Jim nodded then he looked back toward Blair and MacGyver. "They're coming."

Sam looked up and smiled at his father then he looked at his brother. "I'm Sam."

'Blair," he said as he shook his brother's hand. "Jim Ellison, this is my father, MacGyver."

"Nice to meet you," MacGyver said as he and Jim shook hands.

"Likewise."

Blair looked at his partner. "I told MacGyver we could go back to the loft. Have dinner there, maybe?"

"Sounds like a great idea, Chief," Jim smiled. "They can follow us."

When they got to the loft, Jim started dinner while Blair got to know his family. He liked MacGyver and Sam. And after hearing what Blair had found out about MacGyver's search for him, he wondered why Naomi had kept them apart.

He saw MacGyver pull out his wallet, then a picture. "I had this with me the whole time I was in Vietnam. It's a picture of you and your mother."

MacGyver glanced at Sam, knowing he hadn't seen the picture yet. Blair took it and looked at the picture. "Wait a minute. That's not Naomi."

Sam looked at the picture. "That's Mom."

"Do you have the photo album you were sent?" MacGyver asked.

Blair nodded. "I want you to look at it," MacGyver instructed. "The whole thing."

Blair got up and brought the photo album over to the couch. He started from the first page. "She isn't in any of the pictures, is she?" MacGyver asked.

"No," Blair said softly as Jim turned down the stove and came over to them.

"What's this all about?" Jim asked as MacGyver got up.

"Does your computer have internet access?"

"Yeah, why?" Jim asked as MacGyver handed him a slip of paper.

"Go to that address."

Jim went to the computer and got on the internet. After he typed in the address he turned to MacGyver. "This is legit?"

"You can double check it with the police reports from Minneapolis," MacGyver said as Blair and Sam came over to the computer.

They saw a Missing Persons report dated September 9, 1969. It read:

Missing

Blair Jacob MacGyver

Age 3 ½ Months

Last seen with Naomi Sandburg

Age 19

Infants Parents: A. MacGyver, Katherine Malloy

Mr. MacGyver is currently stationed in Vietnam

If you have any information call the Minneapolis Police Department

"Oh my God," Blair said as he looked at the screen. "I don't believe it."

"I wish I could tell you it wasn't true, Blair," MacGyver said where he stood on the other side of the loft.

"What happened?" Jim asked.

"Kate wanted to take classes that fall," MacGyver started. "My mom came down from Mission City to help with Blair. Kate didn't have any family. Her father was killed in Korea and her mother died right before we met. Mom was running some errands and was late getting back. Kate was going to be late for class. Naomi had come over and she offered to watch Blair until Mom got back. Kate was leery, but she had a test. So she went to class. When Mom got back, Naomi and Blair were gone. Kate went to Naomi's dorm room but it had been cleared out. That's when she called the police."

"When did you find out?" Sam asked.

MacGyver sighed. "1971. The day I got home. They didn't tell me because there wasn't anything I could do half way around the world. Mom and Harry thought if we had our degrees, it would be easier to get you back. Kate loved you very much, Blair. She cried herself to sleep at night because she thought it was her fault. She dropped out after you were taken and didn't start back until I got home. I don't know why she decided to go to Brazil when she found out she was pregnant with Sam. Or why she never came back."

"Mom never let me out of her sight," Sam observed. "That's why I was in China with her. The friends I went to in Beijing after she was killed wanted me to stay with them when she went to the village. She said no. She said I had to be with her."

"She was scared," Blair concluded. "She was afraid that you would be taken like I was. What did you say to Naomi when you found her?"

"I said that it was time you learned the truth," MacGyver answered. "I haven't asked her why she did it. Not yet. But I have wondered for 30 years what possessed her to take you away from your family. When did you get the photo album?"

"Today."

MacGyver looked surprised. "I gave it to her three weeks ago."

"It was marked next day delivery," Jim observed. "Maybe she was hoping you wouldn't get it today and MacGyver would think you didn't want to meet him. She said in her note that you would be here today, but not how long you were staying."

Blair nodded then he went out to the balcony. Jim looked at his guests. "I'll go talk to him."

"We'll finish dinner," Sam offered.

Jim nodded and went out to stand beside Blair. "You okay, Chief?"

"No," Blair said softly. "I wondered why Naomi kept him from me. I mean, he seems like a great guy. Then I find out my entire life has been a lie. My mother isn't my mother."

"I don't know why she did it Chief," Jim sighed. "But it does explain why she never settled down in one place."

"She was afraid MacGyver would find me," Blair concluded. "I wonder what she was more scared of. Losing me or going to jail."

"I don't know Chief," Jim said as he looked down at the street. "We'll have some answers soon. She just walked into the building."

Blair went back inside and waited for Naomi Sandburg to come into his apartment. She breezed in the door a few minutes later. "Sweetheart," she said as she walked straight to Blair, ignoring the others in the room. "There is this wonderful retreat in Vancouver that I signed us up for. Then I thought we could go to visit the Dali Lama. Then we can go to Jamaica. You always wanted to go there. After that…"

"Naomi stop," he said as he held his hands up. 'I'm not going anywhere with you. Not now, not ever again."

She looked around and saw MacGyver standing there. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him the truth Naomi," he sighed. "Just like I said I would. I told him who his mother was."

"I'm his mother!" Naomi said as she glared at him. "I raised him. I loved him. I took care of him until he went to college. I was the one who was there for him when he had the chicken pox. I was there when he broke his arm learning how to roller skate."

"No, you weren't," Blair laughed. "I broke my arm at your brother's house in Texas. Where, I might add, he introduced me to everyone as Michael Sandburg. I always wondered why I had to be Michael there. I guess I know now. You knew my parents were looking for me. You knew they would look there. So Blair Sandburg couldn't show up there, but Michael Sandburg could. God, Naomi, why? Why did you do it? Why did you take me from my mother?"

"Because she didn't deserve you," Naomi said as she took Blair's hands. "She didn't deserve to be your mother. She didn't deserve MacGyver's love either. She's the one who convinced him not to take his deferment. I tried to convince him to either take the deferment or go to Canada, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Naomi, Kate didn't convince me to give up the deferment," MacGyver said as he stepped over to them. "It was my decision. She wanted us to go to Canada. She said we could go as soon as the baby was born. And I almost did it. Then I held Blair for the first time."

He turned and looked at his son. "I held this tiny creature that Kate and I had created and I knew I couldn't subject either of them to a life on the run. So I thought about taking the deferment. But then I realized if I did that, I would essentially be sending someone else to die in my place. Blair, Sam, I couldn't do that. So, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I went to Vietnam. I kissed my son and the woman I loved more than life itself goodbye and I went to Vietnam."

He felt Naomi's hand connect with his cheek and looked at her after she slapped him. "Liar!" she said, anger in her voice. "That tramp forced you to say that, didn't she? First she stole you away from me, then she filled your head full of lies about me. Where is she? I want to tell her what it was like to hold Blair when he cried. How it felt when he called ME Mama. Where are you Kate?"

"She's dead, you bitch!" Sam said as he started toward her. Jim held him back. "She died trying to protect me. She died not knowing what you had done to Blair."

"Who are you?" Naomi asked as she glared at him.

"My brother," Blair said as he turned her to look at him. "You took me to hurt my mother. But what about my father? You act like you cared about him. Did it ever occur to you how much taking me would hurt him?"

"I thought he would find us and we could be a family," she cried. "Like we were meant to be before she came into the picture. Don't you see that MacGyver? Don't you see that I did it for us? And for Blair."

"Naomi, we weren't even together for two weeks," MacGyver said as he took her hands. "I'm sorry if you thought I left you because of Kate. I didn't. We broke up because we couldn't agree on anything. We fought the entire time we were together. We both decided it would be better if we were just friends. When I met Kate, you said you were happy for me. When we found out she was pregnant, you organized the baby shower."

"Yes I did," Naomi said as she pulled away from him. "I pretended to be happy for you. I always thought you would realize you loved me, not her. And when I found out about the baby, I was furious. I knew I had lost you. But if I couldn't' have you, I could have a part of you. I had to pick the perfect opportunity because your mother was always there. And your grandfather was there until July. But the day came. I knew Kate had an exam. I packed my things and came over to your place. When Ellen was late, I offered to watch the baby. After I was sure Kate was gone, I got as many of Blair's things that I could and I took him. We drove and drove until we were out of Minnesota. I changed his last name to Sandburg and got a friend in California to get me a birth certificate saying he was born in Berkley. It was so easy. The only downside was not being able to stay in one place for very long, not that I really minded."

Jim let go of Sam and walked over to her. "Naomi Sandburg, you are under arrest for kidnapping."

MacGyver looked at Blair as Jim got the cuffs out. He saw the look on his son's face. "Jim, stop," he said looking at Blair.

"MacGyver, there is no statue of limitations on kidnapping," Jim pointed out.

"Jim, look at Blair," he said softly.

Jim looked at his partner and saw the tear in his eyes. He released Naomi, who looked at Blair. She tried to approach him. He held his hand up. "No. Don't touch me."

"Sweetie…"

"Don't!" he said as he backed away from her. "Leave Naomi. Go away and don't come back."

"You don't' really mean that," she said as she approached him.

"Yes I do!" he said as he put more distance between them. "You kidnapped me Naomi! You put my parents through hell. My mother died without knowing if I was alive or dead. She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve any of it. Go Naomi, before I arrest you."

"I knew you becoming a cop was a bad idea," she said as she picked up her bag. "Just remember I'm the only mother you ever knew. I'm the only mother you will ever know."

"Whose fault is that?" Sam asked as Naomi turned and walked out the door. Then he looked at his father. 'Why did you stop Jim from arresting her?"

"Because Blair has been through enough" MacGyver explained. "And she's right. She's the only mother he ever knew."

He went over to Blair. "I'm sorry Blair. I knew that this would hurt you. I just couldn't' let the opportunity of finally finding you pass. When my grandfather died, my friends thought he was the last of my family. I let them think that, not because I didn't love you. But because it hurt less. I felt like less of a failure. When I met Sam, a piece of my heart that was missing fell back into place. But there was still a big piece missing. That piece was you, Blair. Dinner's cold. Sam and I will head back to the hotel. You call me when and if you're ready."

He turned to leave then he felt Blair grab his arm. He turned and looked into eyes that reminded him so much of Kate.

"Don't go," came the soft voice. "Please don't go."

MacGyver opened his arms and Blair practically fell into them. The older man cried as he held his son for the first time in 30 years.

Sam and Jim left them alone saying they were going for Chinese. They knew that MacGyver and Blair needed this time together.

The rest of the evening saw Blair getting to know his father and brother better. Blair had told Jim that MacGyver and Sam knew he lied at the press conference. The next morning, Jim and Blair went into Simon's office and told them the whole story. "And neither one of you arrested her?" Simon asked as he looked at Blair.

"MacGyver doesn't want to press charges," Jim stated. "Add to that the fact that the only two witnesses are dead and the crime is 30 years old. Quite frankly Simon, I think the DA would have thrown the case out."

"You're right," he said as he got up and walked over to Blair. "You okay, Sand… Blair?"

Blair smiled a little. "You can still call me Sandburg, Simon. We talked about it last night. I know that because I was kidnapped, she never legally changed my name to Sandburg. But she didn't have to because she had a birth certificate."

"A fake birth certificate," Simon pointed out.

"Yes, but do you really want to go through all the paperwork to change my last name to MacGyver?" Blair asked.

"Not really," Simon laughed, then he got serious. "But if you did change your name, you could get your PhD as Blair MacGyver."

"No, I couldn't," he sighed. "There aren't any academic records for Blair MacGyver. Everything I've ever done in my life has been Blair Sandburg, including the academy and my paperwork here. As much as I might like to put that lie behind me, I've been Blair Sandburg too long to change now."

"How does your father feel about this?" Simon asked.

"He's okay with it. He said it was better this way because of the enemies he made working for the DXS. Sam's still Malloy. That was our mother's last name."

Simon nodded as he put a cigar in his mouth. Then he looked at his detectives. "You two have vacation time and no cases pending. Take the time to get to know your family."

"Uh, Simon, I don't have any vacation time," Blair said grinning a little.

"You've worked here for four years," Simon grinned. "You're entitled to vacation time. Go, get to know your family."

"Thank you, Simon," Blair said as he and Jim headed out.

When they got to the loft, they told MacGyver and Sam about the vacation time. They made arrangements to go to Los Angeles. When they got to MacGyver's apartment the next day, Sam pulled Blair into his room and MacGyver showed Jim where he would be sleeping. "This is your room," Jim observed.

"I know, I'll sleep on the couch," MacGyver stated. "I do it all the time."

"I don't want to put you out," Jim said as Blair and Sam joined them.

"I don't think I have ever seen him sleep in there," Sam said laughing a little.

MacGyver gave him a look, then he looked at Blair and Jim. "Why don't you two get settled in the living room? There are some things I want Sam to help me bring up."

"Okay," Blair said as they headed for the couch.

A few minutes later, MacGyver and Sam came up with some boxes and placed them in front of Blair. "What's all this?" he asked.

About a year after we met, when we got back from our trip, I went to put some of my things downstairs," Sam started. "I found these boxes and asked Dad if they were for you."

"I told him they were," MacGyver said as Blair opened the first box and saw that it was full of presents. "Every year after I got back from Vietnam, I bought a present for your first and second birthdays. Even after I stopped looking for you, May would roll around and before I knew it, it was the 24th. And I would wonder where you were and what you were doing. What you looked like. I would find myself in a toy store, or later on various kinds of stores, picking out presents. I would always tell myself that this would be the year that I would only look. But I always wound up buying you something. Same thing happened at Christmas. I would wrap them and put them in these boxes and wonder if I would ever have the chance to give them to you. Then when Sam found them, I felt guilty because I didn't' have anything for him."

"But you didn't know about him," Blair reasoned.

"That's what I told him," Sam smiled. "After I found this stuff, I started helping him pick out presents. So, you better get started, bro. You've got 30 years' worth of presents to open and I've got a cake to pick up."

"Wait, you got me a cake without knowing if I would be here or not?" Blair asked.

"I have a standing order with a bakery down the street," MacGyver admitted. "I always took today off. I think Pete thought it was my mother's birthday."

Blair nodded and picked up a present from the first box. That was when he discovered that they were in chronological order. The present for his first birthday contained a well-loved teddy bear. He looked up at MacGyver as Sam motioned for Jim to come with him.

"That was mine when I was a kid," MacGyver said as he looked at the bear. "His name was Ralph and he slept with me until I was about five or six. When I got that from the attic for you, you were only a week old. Mom had it in her car. That's why Naomi didn't take it with her."

Blair looked at the bear then at his father. "I love it Dad."

He hugged MacGyver, then continued to open presents.

As they ate dinner that night, Blair and Sam grinned at each other right before Sam poked Blair. "Dad, he's touching me," Blair whined.

"Dad, he's looking at me," Sam said in the same whining tone.

Jim laughed out loud as he realized what they were doing. MacGyver looked at them for a minute as they fought. "All right you too. Very funny."

"What?" they asked innocently.

The door opened then. "Hello MacGyver! Hello Sam!" came the accented voice of Mama Lorraine as she came in. "The spirits told me you two had come home today. Who's the cake for? Your birthdays are in January."

"The cake's for Blair," MacGyver smiled at his friend. "Mama Lorraine, this is my son, Blair."

Mama Lorraine gave MacGyver a surprised look. "It's a long story, Mama. Have some cake."

While they ate, MacGyver told Mama Lorraine the whole story. She was surprised to hear the woman that kidnapped Blair was someone she had given a reading too. She went over to Blair and took his face in her hands. "Your spirit is troubled now but know that you are loved and that everything will work out soon."

He smiled at her as she got ready to leave. "You'll see Blair. The spirits don't lie."

Blair looked at MacGyver as she walked out the door. "Mama Lorraine is a Voodoo Priestess," he explained. "I used to scoff at the idea of her spirits but she's been right about a lot of things."

The next morning, Sam made a face as he watched Blair prepare an algae shake. Blair offered a glass to MacGyver, who accepted it and drank the whole thing. Sam looked at Jim as he buttered his toast. "Any doubts about whether or not they're related should be erased right now."

"Oh yeah," Jim agreed. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"We're going to the Phoenix Foundation after breakfast," MacGyver said as he finished his shake. "Then we'll go meet the Coltons."

When they got to Pete's office, MacGyver went in first. He had explained his relationship with the Director of Operations to Blair and Jim along the way. Pete Thornton was his best friend. In some ways, they were like brothers. And in other ways, Pete was like a father to him.

They had known each other for 20 years and MacGyver had never told him about Blair. When they met, MacGyver had been searching for his kidnapped son for almost 10 years. He had almost given up hope. And after his first encounter with Murdoc, he decided not to tell anyone he worked with about Blair, not even Pete.

"Hey Pete," he said as he went in. "Got a minute?"

"Come on in, Mac," Pete said as he smiled up at his friend. "What are you doing back? I thought you and Sam had something important to take care of while you were in Washington."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he sighed. "Pete, when you recruited me for the DXS, you asked me about my family. I told you there was only my mom and Harry."

"I know," Pete said smiling.

"I'm not talking about Sam," MacGyver said as Pete said as Pete laughed a little.

"I know," he said again. Then he sighed. "MacGyver, when we hired you at the DXS, we ran a thorough background check on you. I saw your son's birth certificate and the Missing Person's report after he was kidnapped. The only reason I didn't find out about Sam was because he was born in Brazil. I take it you found your son in Washington."

"Yeah, I did," MacGyver said as he relaxed a little. "He's here and I'd like for him to meet you."

"Bring him in," Pete said as he stood up.

MacGyver went to the door and motioned for Blair to come in. Sam and Jim followed him. "Pete Thornton, I would like for you to meet my son, Blair Sandburg."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Blair," Pete said as he held his hand out.

Blair shook the older man's hand. "And you, Mr. Thornton."

"Like I told your brother, its Pete," he smiled. "What do you do in Cascade, Blair?"

"I'm a detective with the Major Crimes Division of the Cascade PD," Blair explained. "This is my partner, Jim Ellison."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jim said as he shook Pete's hand.

"And you," Pete said as something clicked. "Captain Ellison? Army Special Rangers?"

"That was a lifetime ago," Jim said sighing a little. "Call me Jim."

"Pete, I wanted to show them a file," MacGyver said as he got very serious. "The one I showed Sam."

"You sure?" Pete asked as he sat back down.

"Positive."

Pete picked up the phone. "Helen, I need the Murdoc file sent up to the conference room for MacGyver. She does? Then she can bring it up."

He hung up and looked at MacGyver. "Nikki has the file. She'll meet you in the conference room."

"Nikki?" he asked surprised. "When did she come back?"

"A few months ago. I called her and asked her to be my Assistant Director of Operations."

"Better than Cindy," MacGyver said as he grinned at Pete. "We'll stop by before we leave. Then we're heading to the Coltons'."

"Good luck," Pete laughed as they left.

"Who's Nikki?" Blair asked Sam.

"She's a friend of Dad's," Sam explained as they walked to the conference room. "She took a leave of absence a few years ago. Dad went to high school with her brother."

Blair nodded as they entered the conference room and saw Nikki Carpenter waiting for them. "MacGyver," she said smiling as he gave her a quick hug. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," he smiled. "You look great. And congratulations on the new job."

"We both know it should have been you," Nikki stated.

"Nah," he said as he laughed a little. "I'd have to get a suit. And I'm a terrible politician. Pete knew what he was doing when he asked you to take the job."

"Thanks," she smiled. "Now, why did you want to see the Murdoc file? You should have it memorized by now. You're the one who wrote most of it."

"It's not for me, it's for them," he said as he pointed at his sons. "Nikki Carpenter, I would like for you to meet Blair Sandburg and Sam Malloy. They're my sons."

Nikki looked at him in surprise. "Your sons?"

"Yeah, it's a long story," he said smiling a little. "I want them to see the file so that they know what we're up against."

"And is he a long lost brother?" she asked as she looked at Jim.

"I'm sorry," MacGyver said. "Nikki, this is Detective Jim Ellison. He and Blair are partners at the Cascade PD."

"Okay," she said as she gave him a concerned look. "You want me to stay?"

"Nah, I'm good," he said as he gave her a soft smile. "I'll take the file back to Pete's office when we're done."

She nodded and headed out. He looked at the men in the room. "Why don't we sit down?"

"Who's Murdoc?" Jim asked as he noticed the change in MacGyver's heart rate and respiration indicating his nervousness.

"He's an assassin," MacGyver said as he sat down. "It's a long story that starts with me driving a cab for a friend of mine in 1980."

He told them about his dealings with Murdoc and showed them the combined DXS/Phoenix file. They read the file and Blair looked at his father. "He's one of the reasons you stopped looking for me?"

MacGyver nodded. "Murdoc will use anyone or anything to get to me. I wanted all three of you to see this file so that you can be prepared."

"The last entry in the file says he went over a cliff driving a jeep," Jim observed.

"Yeah, but that's not the only time he's supposedly died," Sam pointed out. Then he looked at his father. "Okay, I get why he would come after me and Blair, but he doesn't have any reason to come after Jim."

"No, he doesn't," MacGyver agreed. "But, with Jim's abilities, he would be able to see Murdoc coming."

"He's right," Blair said as he looked at his partner. "You saw Zeller coming."

"Yeah, I suppose so," he said as he looked at MacGyver. "You haven't seen or heard anything from this guy since '91?"

"Except for calls where no one is there, no," MacGyver consented.

"And there was a seven year gap between your first and second encounters," Jim said as he looked at the file. "I'd say he's biding his time. And in doing so, he's probably already found out about Sam. Which means it's just a matter of time before he finds out about Blair. But, none of us can afford to look over our shoulders. We know he's out there. We know what he's capable of. We're as prepared as we can be. And, MacGyver, if he does come after them, he'll regret it. And it won't be your fault."

MacGyver just nodded then he took the file and took it back to Pete. Blair looked at Sam. "Why do I have a feeling he'll feel guilty no matter what we say?"

"Cause we inherited his guilt complex," Sam suggested.

"He's right, Chief," Jim said as he got up. "But we'll just have to convince him otherwise."

"We will," Blair promised.

They left Phoenix and headed over to the Colton house. MacGyver gave them a brief rundown on the family. He smiled as he pulled up in front of the house and got out of the car. "Hey Frog!" he called to the bulldog. "Long time no see!"

Blair and Sam smiled as they watched their father play with the dog. Then they saw an older woman come out onto the porch. "MacGyver! It's been too long since we've seen you."

MacGyver smiled as he climbed the porch steps and hugged her. "I've missed you Mama."

"Hey MacGyver," a man said as he came out. "Where have you been hiding yourself?"

"I've been playing catchup,' he said as he looked at his friend. "How are you doing Jesse?"

"I'm good," he said grinning.

"MacGyver, who are these handsome young men standing in my front yard?" Mama Colton asked.

MacGyver turned to look at them. "Mama, these are my sons Sam Malloy and Blair Sandburg. And that's Jim Ellison. He's Blair's partner at the Cascade PD."

Mama turned his face to look at her. "Your sons?"

He nodded and she went down to look at them. "Look at you two. Skinny, just like your father. And I think you two probably inherited more than that from him. You have two different last names. Do you have different mothers?"

"No, they don't Mama," MacGyver sighed. "It's a long story."

"You can tell us over supper," Mama said as she took Blair's and Sam's arms and led them into the house. "Come on Jim. You may not be his son but you're too skinny too. Seems to run in the family."

Jim just laughed as he stopped on the porch and looked at MacGyver. "Why do I have the feeling they just found themselves a surrogate grandmother?"

"That's why you're a detective," MacGyver grinned.

"I seem to recall you coming to me after we got Willie back here and asking me if I would help you with a missing persons case," Jesse said as they went inside. "Then about a week or so later, you called and told me to forget about it. Were you going to ask me to look for both of them or just one? And if so, why did you ask me to forget about it?"

"I wanted you to look for Blair," MacGyver said as he watched his sons helping Mama Colton. "He was kidnapped when he was a baby."

"Oh you poor child," Mama Colton said as she hugged Blair again.

"Their mother and I thought we'd never see him again," MacGyver sighed. "Then she went to Brazil and never told me about Sam."

"What happened to her?" Jesse asked.

"She was killed covering a story in China," Sam said as Mama took his hand.

"How did you find the children?" she asked MacGyver.

Jim grinned as Blair and Sam squirmed a little at the idea of being called children. He looked around as MacGyver filled Jesse and his mother in on what had happened. "Is this a restaurant?" he asked after MacGyver had finished his tale.

Jesse said giving the restaurant equipment a dirty look. "It used to be before my brother Frank and I got our bounty hunting business off the ground. Then when we started doing PI work as well we started to relax. We never want to have to open the restaurant again."

"I know Billy and Willie are at school," MacGyver said to Jesse. "Frank on a case?"

"Yeah, he's in Texas."

"Billy and Willie?" Blair said. "Are they twins?"

"Billy's my youngest son," Mama Colton said as she slapped Sam's hand to keep him from stealing food. "Willie is Jesse's son."

"You have a son in college?" Jim asked.

"Yeah," Jesse said smiling. "I met his mother in Vietnam. I wanted to bring her back but the powers that be kept me from doing it. MacGyver found him when he was in Bangkok helping to get medical treatment for Amerasien children."

"MacGyver has always helped children," Mama observed. "Every chance he gets. I always thought it was because he didn't have any of his own. Now I'm not so sure."

"Dad?" Blair asked.

MacGyver sighed as he looked at his oldest son. "It's not that I didn't honestly want to help those kids. I did. But as the years passed, I would see a child who was lost or hurting and think of you. Then I would see a boy who was the same age as you were and I would wonder if it was you."

He looked at both his sons, then he went out on the porch. Sam sighed. "He feels guilty because he couldn't find Blair. And he feels guilty because he didn't think about me all that time. I told him that he didn't know about me and that you can't think about a child you don't know about."

"I'll go talk to him," Mama said as she took her apron off. "Blair, you and Sam keep an eye on the food. Jesse, you and Jim set the table."

She heard all four of them say "Yes Mama" as she went out on the porch. She saw MacGyver sitting on the steps. "MacGyver," she said as she sat down beside him. "You've known me for a long time now. Have you ever known me to favor one of my boys over another?"

"No ma'am, he said as he looked at her. "But this is different."

"No it's not," she insisted. "Do you love Blair more than you love Sam?"

"No."

"Do you love Sam more than you love Blair?"

"No."

She took his hand. 'They know that. You know that Blair was out there somewhere. That's why you thought about him every day of his life. Just like I do each of my boys. And I know that you have thought of Sam every day since he came into your life. Baby, you can't do anything about what happened to Blair. And you can't do anything about the time you lost with Sam. What you can do is be the best father you can be. And I know you can do that. So do they. It doesn't upset Sam that you thought about Blair. It would upset both of them if you hadn't."

MacGyver looked at her for a minute, then he hugged her. "Thank you Mama."

"You're welcome, Baby," she said as she smiled at him. Then she got up. "Come on. Let's go back inside before those boys eat our supper."

MacGyver smiled as he got up and followed her inside.

That night, he sat on the couch with Blair going through a photo album. "Those were your grandparents," he said as he pointed at his parents wedding picture. "They were married about two years before I was born. They had just celebrated their 12th anniversary when he died."

"What happened?" Blair asked as Sam and Jim joined them.

"He and my grandmother went to the store," he said as he closed his eyes. "Harry and Grandma lived with us. Anyway it was raining and their car went off the road. They were killed instantly. I blamed myself because I thought if I had been with them, I could have prevented it."

"Or you could have been killed," Jim pointed out. "One of the things I've learned from Blair is that you can't live in the past. What's done is done, MacGyver."

"Took him four years to realize that," Blair said as he coughed. "Excuse me."

He headed to the bathroom. MacGyver and Sam shot Jim a concerned look. "He okay?" MacGyver asked.

"He's getting over a cold," Jim sighed. "It takes his lungs a little longer to heal than they used to."

"Why?" Sam asked as he looked toward the bathroom.

"He drown last year," Jim said as he came back out. "You okay, Chief?"

"Yeah," he said as he looked as this father and brother. "You told them?"

"All he said was that you drown," MacGyver said as he went over to his oldest son. "He didn't give us the details."

"I suppose you want them," Blair sighed. "The short version is that there was a woman named Alex Barnes who I thought was a Sentinel. Only she used her abilities to steal two canisters of nerve gas. Before I found out she was a criminal, I was helping her with her senses. She decided she couldn't afford to have any witnesses. So she came to my office at the University and led me, by gunpoint I might add, out to the fountain in front of the building. Then she knocked me out. If Jim hadn't found me, I'd be dead."

"You were dead, Blair," Jim said softly. "We pulled him out and started CPR. Then the paramedics took over and pronounced him dead. I still can't explain how I brought him back after that."

MacGyver looked at Blair for a long moment. He touched his face then his hair. Then he pulled his son into a hug. Blair felt the tears hit his shoulder. "I'm okay Dad."

MacGyver just nodded and let go. "There's something in my eye."

He went in the bathroom and Blair looked at Sam. "I really am okay. It was a year ago. And contrary to what my Blessed Protector over there thinks, my lungs have healed very nicely."

He looked up as MacGyver came back in. "I want to hear more about Harry."

MacGyver looked at Sam, who shrugged. They could tell that Blair didn't want to talk about his near-death experience anymore. They spent the rest of the evening talking about Harry Jackson. MacGyver looked at a picture of his grandfather and smiled. Somehow he knew that Harry had been keeping an eye on his boys.

The week went by quicker than any of them had expected. Before they knew it, it was time for Jim and Blair to return to Cascade. "Jim, what time's our flight?" Blair asked as he brought his bag out to the living room.

"Six o'clock, Chief," Jim said as he zipped up his bag. "Plenty of time. Where did your dad go anyway?"

"I don't know," Blair sighed. "He and Sam said they had some things to take care of. But they'll be back soon."

"Okay," he said as he looked at his guide. "How are you handling all of this, Blair?"

"Better than I was a week ago," Blair admitted. "It's still strange you know. I'm still processing the fact that my whole life was based on a lie. I don't know if I will ever be able to accept or forgive what Naomi did. She kidnapped me Jim. Because she was jealous. And because she did, I never got to know my real mother. And Sam grew up without Dad because Mom was afraid Naomi would come back and take him too. I just hope that when we get back, Naomi's not there waiting for us."

"If she is, I will arrest her," Jim promised. "I understand why MacGyver stopped me last week. And as your father, if he chooses not to press charges, I'll show her the door. But I will be damned if I let her hurt you or your family again."

"You're part of this family, too," MacGyver said as he and Sam came in.

"I don't know about that," Jim protested.

"I do," MacGyver said as he looked the detective in the eye. "You've been a brother to Blair for four years. And you and I both know he wouldn't be standing here right now if it wasn't for you. There's been a lot of talk this week about guilt and not being able to change the past. Most of that was directed at me, but I hope you were listening, Jim."

"He looked at his sons. "That goes for you two as well."

"Yes Dad," Jim said laughing a little.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," MacGyver laughed. "I started young but not that young."

"So did you two get your errands done?" Blair asked Sam.

"Yeah, the moving van come tomorrow," Sam grinned.

"Moving van?" Blair asked as he looked from Sam to MacGyver. "You didn't say you were moving."

"Pete mentioned something about wanting to open a division of Phoenix is Washington," MacGyver shrugged. "For some reason he thought I would want to run it."

"Let me guess," Jim grinned. "The division is in Cascade."

"You know, I think that's where he said it was located," MacGyver said as Blair shook his head.

"You can't uproot your lives like this."

"Blair, we want to," Sam said as he came up to his brother. "You got to admit, if we stayed here, the long distance bills would be through the roof."

"He's got a point, Chief," Jim said as he looked at Sam. "You sure you want to accept the offer you got."

"Already did," Sam said. "But if Blair's not comfortable with it."

"With what?" Blair asked as he started to look concerned.

"I was offered a position teaching photojournalism at Rainer a few months ago," Sam explained. "That's why we picked the 22nd to meet you. I met with the dean on the 21sst and accepted the job."

"That's great Sam," Blair smiled then he gave his brother a look. "You weren't thinking about turning it down because of what happened to me?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," Sam admitted.

"Don't" Blair said as he went over to his brother. "What happened to me at Rainer was my fault. I called the press conference. I discredited my work. That's why they fired me."

"But you wouldn't have had to have called that press conference if Naomi hadn't sent your dissertation to that publisher, Chief," Jim pointed out.

"She said she did that to help me," Blair argued then he realized he was defending her again. "You know what I don't get. She knew that there would be a flood of publicity if my dissertation was published. She had to have known that if that happened her secret would come out."

"Maybe she didn't care," MacGyver theorized. "Maybe they thought if her friend published your dissertation you wouldn't have to work with Jim anymore. You have to remember her actions have been based on insane jealousy. I believe that's why she took you."

"But it backfired on her this time," Sam observed. "You discredited your work to save Jim. And Dad saw the press conference. And her web of lies came apart. I think she actually expected you to reject not only Dad but the job offer from the police department. I know you grew up thinking she was your mother Blair, but I think you're better off without her. As far as I can tell, she manipulated you your entire life."

"She probably did," Blair admitted. "She wasn't exactly thrilled when she found out I was working with the police. She said she was concerned for my safety, but now I have to wonder if she was just scared she'd get caught. I have to second guess everything about my life, Sam. And it sucks. But I won't say that it hasn't all been a learning experience, because it has. And think about it you guys might not have found me if it hadn't been for the press conference."

"I don't know about that," Sam argued. "We might have run into each other on campus."

"The point is," MacGyver said as he held his hands up. "We found each other. And I know how much it hurts you, Blair, but I'd just as soon not hear the name Naomi Sandburg for a while. Now, we have packing to do, then you two have a plane to catch."

Blair nodded and squeezed Sam's shoulder so he knew everything was all right.

They left for the airport a little earlier than they had to because MacGyver said there was one last place he wanted to take Blair before he went home. They stopped at a cemetery. Jim realized why they were there and offered to stay with the car. "No, I want you to come," MacGyver said as he looked over at him.

They went to a headstone and Blair knelt beside it. "We put up the stone after we got back from our trip," Sam said as he squatted beside his brother. "I wish I could tell you that she's buried here. But the Chinese Government had declared her a spy and they wouldn't give the friends who took me in her body. All I know is she's buried somewhere in China."

Blair nodded. MacGyver squeezed his son's shoulder. "We'll be at the car," he said as he led Jim and Sam away.

Blair read the headstone.

Katherine Ann Malloy

1950-1982

Beloved Mother

Beloved Wife

He reached out and touched the stone. "If it weren't for Naomi, that last part would be true," he said to the stone. "I wish I could have met you Mom. I mean again. We did have 3 ½ months together were you could actually hold me. Sam and Dad have told me a lot about you. And sometimes, when I'm asleep, I dream you're there. It's only been a week since I found out about you but it feels like longer. Dad and Sam have made you seem so real to me. And seeing your picture helps explain the dream I had when I was in a coma because of that Golden laced pizza. I haven't told Dad about that. I'll tell him when he moves to Cascade. Jim's going to offer him the apartment across the hall. God, Mom, when I think about what you went through I can't help but hate Naomi."

He wiped his eyes and pulled a stone from his pocket and placed it on the headstone. "I was raised Jewish. I guess you know that. I can't believe you were killed the year I had my Bar Mitzvah. I hope you are proud of me, Mom. Dad seems to be and he says you would be."

He got up and brushed off his pants. "I'll take care of Dad and Sam. I promise you that. I don't even remember you but I know one thing. I love you Mom."

He touched the stone again and headed back to the car.

Three weeks later, Blair was helping MacGyver unpack boxes in his new apartment in Cascade. Sam had gone to Rainer to fill out paperwork and find his office. Jim had gone to visit his father for the day.

Blair broke down a box then looked at his father. "Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" MacGyver asked as he looked up from the box he was unpacking. He sat down when he saw the look on Blair's fac. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"Probably not," Blair admitted as he sat in front of his father. "A couple of years ago, I was helping Jim with a drug case. It involved a new designer drug called Golden. Jim went undercover as a distributor. They figured out he was a cop. They sent pizzas laced with Golden to Major Crimes. Jim was in Simon's office or he would have smelled the stuff. I picked up a slice and bit into it. It hit me pretty quickly. I wound up standing on top of a patrol car with Jim's backup gun, shooting at Golden Fire People. Jim talked me down and I wound up in a coma."

"Oh my God," MacGyver said softly.

"Told you you might not like it," Blair said as he laughed a little. "But here's the good part. The part that no one knows. Not even Jim."

"You don't have to tell me," MacGyver said as Blair shook his head.

"Yeah, I do. When I was in the coma, I saw someone. Someone who came to me and told me that I had to hang on. That there were things I had to do and people I had to meet. People who were vital to my life. I didn't know who this person was or why I felt so safe and needed, but I did."

He closed his eyes and saw the image from his dream and smiled. "It was Mom," he said as he opened his eyes. "She held me close and told me she loved me. And she didn't let go until I was ready to wake up. I asked her who she was and she said I would find out soon. Right before I woke up, she said 'Tell Angus I love him.'"

MacGyver laughed a little. "That was defiantly your mother. She's the only one who called me Angus. She liked it for some reason. She wanted you to be Blair Angus, but I talked her into Jacob. Sam wasn't so lucky."

"I noticed his driver's license said Sean A. Malloy. I figured it had to be the mysterious A that was in front of your name on my Missing Persons report. Can I ask where you got Blair Jacob from?"

"Blair was your grandfather Malloy's name," MacGyver said smiling a little. "Actually it was Blair Sean, so I'm guessing that's where she got Sean for Sam. Jacob was my Grandpa MacGyver's name. Harry put his foot down when we said something about naming you after him. I believe he said something along the lines of he wasn't dead yet and he was still using the name, thank you very much."

Blair laughed. "So how did you get saddled with Angus?"

"It was in the family for generations," he sighed. "It was actually Grandpa Jacob's first name but he insisted on being called Jacob. Since Mom and Dad neglected to give me a middle name, I just had everybody call me MacGyver."

"Makes sense to me," Blair said as Sam came in. "How was the paperwork?"

"Murderous," he said as he sat down beside his brother. "I have to have a syllabus turned in by next week so they can order books. I didn't learn photojournalism from a book, but they expect me to teach it from one."

"Do you have a catalog?" Blair asked.

Sam went through his backpack. "Here."

Blair got his glasses out and looked through it. "There's your book," he said as he handed it back to Sam and pointed to the book."

"This is a book about cameras," Sam said as he looked at his brother.

"I know," he grinned. "I know the dean in the Journalism department. He doesn't care what kind of book you use as long as you use one. He hired you for your practical knowledge. He has obviously seen your work. He has faith that you can teach this class. If you don't want to use that book, tell them they can use their journalism 101 book. Then all you have to do is get a teacher's edition. Cause they're going to want you to do that."

"Great," Sam said as he found the book they were using for the 101 class. "And the beauty of it is being a photojournalism class, no papers. I'm going to have their photo projects take the place of papers. Photojournalism is more the pictures than the test."

"Exactly," Blair grinned. "Do they want you to get a PhD?"

"Right now I'm just working this year," he said as he put up the catalog. "After that, I'll have to decide if I want to continue with them, apply at a paper or go back to being freelance."

"You're getting off luck," Blair said as he stood up to open another box. "Anthropology 101 is full of papers and tests. I spent some stakeouts with Jim grading papers."

"Do you miss it?" MacGyver asked as he watched his son.

"Nah," Blair said then he sighed. "When the semester started in January and I was at the Police Academy and not a class at Rainer, it was strange. I mean, I had been there since I was sixteen. That was my life for so long, I wasn't sure how to start over."

His cellphone rang. "Sandburg. Hey Jim. Oh my God. Is Steven there? Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

He hung up and headed for the door. "Blair?" MacGyver asked as he and Sam followed him out of the apartment.

"Jim's dad just had a heart attack," Blair said as they headed for the stairs. "They don't know how bad it is yet. His brother's out of town on business."

When they got to the hospital, they found Jim pacing the floor of the emergency room. "Jim!" Blair said as soon as he spotted his friend. "Any word?"

Jim just shook his head. "They won't tell me anything. God, Blair, one minute he was telling me about the day I was born, the next he was clutching his chest. I…I noticed the change in his breathing and heartbeat, but I didn't think anything of it. He's 63 years old and I don't think I ever told him I love him."

"He knows Jim," MacGyver said as he put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "He knows by your actions even if you haven't said the words."

Jim laughed. "My actions. I hadn't spoken to him since I was eighteen. I wouldn't have spoken to him then if I hadn't needed his help on a case."

"But ever since then, you two have tried to rebuild your relationship," Blair pointed out. "You two have built a lot of bridges in the last couple of years. He'll pull through this, Jim."

A doctor came out then. "Mr. Ellison?" he asked the group of men in front of him.

"That's me," Jim said as he approached the doctor. "How's my father?"

"He's going to be just fine," he said, smiling a little. "He did have a mild heart attack, but he was in good health before this and I see no reason why he shouldn't make a full recovery."

"Can I see him?"

"We're getting him settled in a room now. I'll send a nurse to take you to him soon."

"Thank you, doctor," he said as his cell phone started to ring. "Excuse me."

He went outside to answer it. "Ellison. Steven, I'm glad you got my message. Dad had a mild heart attack. Cascade General. They say he's going to make a full recovery. Okay, call me when you get your flight information and I'll come pick you up at the airport. Yeah, I'll tell him. Bye Steven."

When he hung up, he went back into the waiting room. Blair was waiting for him. "Dad's going to go upstairs with you. Sam and I are going to go back to the loft and get you a change of clothes and a couple of other things. I know from experience that you're going to want to spend the night. Don't worry about work. I'll talk to Simon."

"Thanks, Chief," Jim said as he looked at his friend's family. "They barely know me and they're willing to help me get through this?"

"Like Dad said, you're family," Blair said then he grinned. "Besides, when you think about it, they barely know me."

He turned to his brother. "Come on, Sam. We can pick up some dinner on the way back."

As Blair and Sam headed to the loft, Jim and MacGyver headed up to the cardiac care waiting room. They sat down in the chairs and Jim put his head in his hands. "He's going to be okay," MacGyver reassured.

Jim looked at his friend's father. "I know. It's just I haven't been that scared in a long time."

"Since Blair drowned or since he overdosed on Golden?" MacGyver asked.

Jim winced. "I didn't know he told you about the Golden."

"He just told me today," MacGyver admitted. "I'm not blaming you for any of that, Jim. Blair's an adult. And, as Sam is so fond of telling me, he can take care of himself."

"He nearly died because of me," Jim argued. "Twice. Hell, he actually did die once."

"Jim, you didn't put the Golden on that pizza," MacGyver reasoned. "And you didn't put him in that fountain. Your next argument is going to be that neither of those things would have happened if he hadn't met you. But you can't dwell on the past. Trust me, I know. When I found out Blair had been kidnapped, I blamed myself. I just knew that if I had taken the deferment or gone to Canada, it wouldn't have happened. But I don't know that for sure. We can't spend our lives wondering what if. We have to deal with the cards we're given. And then hand you were dealt gave you Sentinel senses. They gave you a best friend who would, and did, die for you. And they gave you a chance to work on your relationship with your father."

Jim looked at him for a long time then he nodded. "I hope Blair and Sam realize how lucky they are that their cards dealt you to be their father."

MacGyver smiled. "I think I'm the lucky one to have them in my cards as my sons."

Blair pulled up in the garage at the police station and led Sam to the elevators. "Don't tell Dad this, but the first time I was here, the building was taken over by domestic terrorists."

"As long as you promise not to tell Dad that my last freelance assignment was in the middle of Bosnia," Sam grinned.

"Where did you tell him it was?" Blair asked as they got off the floor Major Crimes was located on.

"London," Sam admitted. "He'd just seen your press conference. He was so excited about the idea of finding you and worried about your future at the same time. I couldn't tell him that I was taking on a potentially deadly assignment."

Blair nodded as they entered Major Crimes. "Hey, Hairboy," Brown called. "I thought today was your day off."

"It is," Blair said as he smiled a little. "There's something I've got to tell Simon though."

"Who's your friend, Sandy," Megan asked.

"Oh, um, Sam Malloy, meet Detectives Henri Brown, Brian Rafe, and Joel Taggert. And this is Inspector Megan Connor. Guys, this is my brother, Sam Malloy."

"Nice to meet you Sam," Joel said as he shook Sam's hand. "Simon told us that Blair had been reunited with his family."

"Yeah, I figured he had," Blair said sighing a little. "Is he in his office?"

"Yeah, he is," Joel said as he looked around. "Where's Jim?"

"That's what I need to talk to Simon about," Blair sighed. "Sam, can you fill them in while I talk to the captain."

"Sure," Sam said as Blair headed to Simon's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Simon called.

"Hi Simon," Blair said as he came in.

"Sandburg, I thought you were helping your dad get moved into his apartment," Simon said as he looked up.

"I was," Blair said as he gave his captain a small smile. "Simon, Jim's going to need a few days off."

"What happened? And how badly is he hurt?"

"He's not hurt," Blair said holding a hand up. "Well, not physically anyway. His father had a heart attack this afternoon."

"Oh my God," Simon said as he got up. "Is he going to be all right?"

"It looks that way," Blair said as Simon relaxed a little. "They said it was a mild heart attack and he should make a full recovery."

"Tell Jim to take all the time he needs," Simon said as he looked out into the bullpen. "Is that your brother?"

"Yeah," Blair grinned as he looked out and saw Sam talking to Megan. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

"And rescue him from Connor," Simon laughed as they headed to the bullpen.

"Sam, I want you to meet my boss," Blair said as they approached Sam and Megan. "Sam Malloy, this is Captain Simon Banks."

"Pleased to meet you sir," Sam said as he shook Simon's hand.

"Call me Simon. Blair tells me you're going to be teaching photojournalism at Rainer."

"Yeah, I am," Sam said smiling a little. "I wasn't sure about taking the position after finding out how they'd treated Blair."

"I told him not to let me factor into his decision," Blair said as he looked at his friends. He knew how they felt about Rainer. "We better get going."

"Tell Jim we're praying for his Dad," Rafe said as Sam and Blair got ready to leave.

"Thanks Rafe," Blair said as he smiled at them.

The next morning, Jim walked back into his father's room after getting off the phone with his brother and looked at MacGyver. "Steven's plan will be landing soon," he whispered.

MacGyver looked at his watch. "Blair and Sam should be here soon. Why don't you go wait for them and they can take you to the airport."

Jim looked over at his sleeping father. "He knows you'll be back," MacGyver said as he got up and went over to Jim. "He's the one who told you to call Sally and let her know how he's doing. If he wakes up while you're gone, I'll tell him you went to pick up Steven."

Jim nodded, then he went over and kissed his father's forehead. "I'll be back soon, Dad."

MacGyver watched him leave and waited until he was sure Jim had gotten on the elevator to go downstairs before he spoke. "He's gone. You can open your eyes now."

"How did you know I was faking?" William asked as he opened his eyes and looked at the younger man.

"About two years ago, I was in a car accident," MacGyver said. "I had to have surgery on my knees. Sam, Blair's brother, did what Jim's doing now. He hovered. Boy did he hover. The only way I could get him to leave my room and get something to eat was to pretend to be asleep. If I was asleep, he didn't have to worry about if I was any pain or if I needed him to get me something."

"I thought we were supposed to worry about them," William said as he smiled a little.

"We are," MacGyver agreed. "But I've noticed they worry about us more than either one of us care to admit. Blair would probably say it has something to do with the circle of life."

"I never expected Jimmy to worry about me," William said as he looked away from MacGyver. "Not after the way I raised him and Stevie. I should have never made them compete with each other."

"That's in the past, William," MacGyver said as the older man turned to look at him.

"I don't even know who my sons are anymore," he said sadly. "Did you know Jimmy didn't even invite me to his wedding? And I haven't seen my granddaughter since she was a year old."

"William, you have been given the opportunity to get to know your sons again," MacGyver reasoned. "They are willing to build a relationship with you. You know they love you, even if they haven't been able to say it yet. Jim was terrified yesterday. And Steven left his meeting to come home and be with you."

"Because they love me?" William asked sounding unsure.

"Yes," MacGyver said smiling. "You and I are in the same boat you know. I'm getting to know my sons. I didn't know about Sam until a few years ago. And Blair…"

"I know, Jimmy told me. I have no idea what I would have done if that had happened to Jimmy or Stevie. I lost my boys because of my actions. You lost your son because of a crazy woman. Actually, when you think about it, you lost both of your boys because of her."

MacGyver thought about it for a minute. "I never thought about it like that. You're right though. But, we have been given this opportunity to get to know the men they've became. They may be adults, but they still need their fathers. And we need them."

"You're right," William said as he started to smile. "I haven't told them but I'm retiring at the end of the year. I want to spend whatever time I have left with my family, not in some board meeting."

"Good for you," MacGyver grinned. They talked for about an hour or so then MacGyver talked about why he made the decision to move to Cascade. "One of the reasons I moved up here was so I can spend time with my boys. Yeah, the job's great, but when I think about how close I came to never finding either one of them…"

"What happened?" William asked concern for the younger man written on his face.

"I almost died about two years before I found Sam," MacGyver sighed. He didn't see William look up as the door opened. "I was helping the Egyptian government recover their Sun Boat. There was a thief. I chased him into a parking garage. We fought and he threw me over the edge. I fell three stories on top of a car. I went into a coma, then I went into cardiac arrest. It took a long time for them to bring me back."

"Oh my God," Blair said as MacGyver spun around in his chair. "I thought I was the only one in this family to have near-death experiences."

Sam took off down the hall and Blair followed him. William looked at MacGyver. "You go talk to your boys. There are some things I have to say to mine."

MacGyver nodded and followed his sons while Jim and Steven entered their father's room. "The first thing I want to say to you two is I'm sorry," William said as his sons stood at either side of his bed. "I'm sorry for making you two compete for my love. I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to earn my love. After your mother left, and I realized I had to raise the two of you by myself, I panicked. You two were so young I was afraid I would mess it up. So, I raised you the only way I knew how. I treated you two like you were corporate challenges. Like acquisitions that had to conform to the company line instead of children. I realize now that was a mistake. All it did was push you two away from me, especially you Jimmy. I made you feel like a freak instead of letting you know how special you were. Your grandmother had the same gifts you do. And she told me she wouldn't be surprised if you two turned out like her. I promised her I would nurture your talents. Instead, I made you think I was ashamed of them. Stevie, you have some of Jimmy's gifts, but not all of them. I'm not sure why, but I'm sure Blair will tell you. I told MacGyver, now I'm telling you, I have started the chain of events that will lead to my retirement by the end of the year. I wasted enough time there. Now it's time to get to know my family again."

"Dad, we have something to tell you too," Steven said as he looked at his brother.

"We're sorry for letting so many years go by because of anger and bitterness," Jim said as he took his father's hand. "When I came to the house, I expected you to be the same stubborn man you were when I left. But you weren't. You tried to reach out to me and I wouldn't let you. It took almost losing you to realize what I'd done. I love you Dad."

The Ellison brothers looked at each other then took turns carefully hugging their father.

MacGyver caught up with his sons in the atrium of the hospital. "Blair, Sam," he said as he approached them.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam asked as he looked at his father. "Why didn't you tell us you almost died?"

"Because it's not something I like to remember," MacGyver sighed. "It happened right after Harry had the heart attack that killed him. I wasn't focused on the job. My mind and my heart where in a hospital in Minnesota. When we met, Sam, I thought it was more important for you to learn about who I was and who your family was. Same goes for you, Blair. It took a lot for you to tell me about your near-death experiences because you didn't want me to worry. Just like you didn't tell me about Kincaid and Lash and some of the other wonderful experiences you had as an observer. Just like Sam told me he was going to London instead of Bosnia."

Sam and Blair looked at each other mentally asking, "How did he find out?" Then they looked at their father. Blair sighed. "Okay, we've all done dangerous things in the past. And with our jobs, we'll probably do dangerous things in the future. And we're going to worry about each other. We can all agree on that."

"Yeah, we can," Sam nodded. "Just one question though. How did you know about Bosnia?"

"I walked in while you were talking to the editor," MacGyver admitted. "As you were ending the conversation, I went back out and came in again. As for Blair's exploits, Phoenix has access to police files all over the country. Once I found out you had been working with the police, I looked up Jim's reports."

"Yeah, Jim's reports," Blair smirked. "Who do you think wrote those reports?"

"Come on," MacGyver said as he led them out. "Let's give Jim and Steven some time with their father. They have a lot to talk about."

A couple of months later, MacGyver was in his apartment getting ready to go to work. Sam had already left for the university. He knew Jim and Blair were home because they had a stakeout the night before. He was going to stop in on them before he left.

He heard a knock on the door and smiled thinking it was Blair. "I was just about to…" he started as he opened the door. He stopped when he saw who was standing there. "Naomi."

"MacGyver," she said as she glared up at him.

"What do you want?" he asked, hoping that Jim was listening.

"My son," she said as she pulled a gun out of her purse.

"Naomi, he was never your son," he argued.

"I raised him!" she shouted. "He called me Mama when he was a toddler."

"Because you stole him!" MacGyver said as the anger from the last 30 years built up. You were so obsessed with me you took my son!"

"He should have been our son!" she argued. "We belonged together, Mac. Don't you see? He should have been ours. And he's going to be mine again."

She cocked the gun and aimed it at his chest.

Jim came running down the stairs of the loft. "Call 911!"

"Jim, what's going on?" Blair asked as Jim jerked the door open a second before they heard the gunshot.

"Just do it!" he shouted as he ran out the door. He saw the back of Naomi's dress as she ran down the stairs. He ran over to MacGyver and saw the blood. He grabbed the scarf she had dropped and pressed it into MacGyver's wound. He was hit in the right side of the chest. Jim listened to his heartbeat and was relieved to find it didn't seem like it had been damaged.

"Oh my God!" Blair's voice came from behind him.

"He's going to be all right," Jim said as he looked up at his friend. "Come here and put pressure on the wound while I go wait for the ambulance."

"Blair just nodded as he took Jim's place. He looked at the scarf before he put pressure on the wound. "This is Naomi's."

"I know Chief," Jim said as he headed down the stairs.

Blair looked at his father's face and tried to keep the tears from his eyes. "Blair," MacGyver said softly.

"I'm here Dad," Blair said as he tried to smile. "You rest okay. Jim's getting help and you'll be okay."

"Naomi…"

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about her. I'll make sure she's taken care of."

Blair turned when he heard the paramedics. "Helps here, Dad," he said as the paramedics took over. He looked at his partner. "Where is she?"

"I don't know Chief," Jim sighed. "I can tell you the general direction she went in, but I was more concerned with getting the EMT's up here."

"I want her for this," Blair said through clenched teeth. "You knew she was out here. What did she say to him?"

"That's not important right now," Jim said as the EMT's got ready to transport MacGyver. "Go with your dad. I'll go get Sam."

Blair nodded and followed the EMT's out to the ambulance.

Jim sighed as he got out of the truck at Rainer. He had already called Simon and Major Crimes was going over the crime scene. He walked into the journalism building but he had no clue what classroom Sam was in. He stopped a professor. "Excuse me, could you tell me what room Sam Malloy is in?"

"He's in the photo lab," the professor said as he pointed down the hall. "Last door on your right."

"Thank you," Jim said as he walked down the hall. He looked in the door and saw Sam laughing along with his students. He was reminded of Blair as he watched the younger man. He hated to interrupt, but he knew he had to.

Sam's head turned toward the door when he heard it open. "Jim, what are you doing here? Is Blair all right?"

"Yeah, Blair's fine," Jim said softly.

Sam saw the look on his friend's face, then he looked back at his class. "We'll continue this on Monday."

He got his stuff and followed Jim out. "What happened to Dad?"

"He was shot," Jim said as he put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "But he's going to be all right. Blair's at the hospital with him now."

"Who shot him?" Sam asked as they got to the truck.

Jim sighed. "It was Naomi Sandburg."

"Did Blair stop you from arresting her?"

"No," Jim stated firmly. "He wants her to go down for this."

Sam just nodded.

When they got to the hospital, Simon was waiting for them with Blair. "They just took MacGyver up to surgery," Simon told Sam. "We've got an APB out on Naomi. You two want to help me keep Blair from going after her."

"She's going down for this Simon," Blair stated.

"Yes, she is," Jim agreed. "But you're needed here. Sam needs you here and so does your father."

Blair looked at Simon again. "The victim can press charges in a kidnapping case, right?"

"Yes, but Blair, it was 30 years ago," he said as he tried to reason with the younger man.

"Yeah, I know that. But let's face it, she's only going to do 10 years for attempted murder. We add kidnapping to that, she goes away for life."

He looked at Sam. "The doctor will look for us in the surgical waiting room."

Sam nodded and followed his brother. Blair paced the floor of the waiting room as soon as they got up there. Sam sat down with his head in his hands. Jim and Simon stood at the door unsure how to help their friends. Jim looked up when he heard the elevator and turned to look to see who was coming. "Dad," he said surprised.

"Jimmy," the older man said as he came in the waiting room. "I was at my doctor's appointment when word came around that an officer's father had been shot."

He looked inside and saw Sam and Blair. "Oh God. Not MacGyver."

"He was shot in his apartment," Jim sighed. "We have an APB out on the suspect. Blair wants to go find her and take her down himself."

"Her?" William asked as he looked up at his son.

"It was Naomi Sandburg," Simon supplied. "Jim, I'm going to call Joel and see how things are going at the apartment. Then I'm going to arraign for a couple of uniforms to guard MacGyver's room when he gets out of surgery."

Jim nodded as William walked over to the distraught young men. "Blair come here,' he said as he sat beside Sam. He waited until Blair was sitting on the other side of him before he continued. "Your father is a strong man. He's going to pull through this. And he's going to need both of you to help him through all of this. Now I know that you two are feeling a lot of guilt and blame right now. But you have to remember the only one to blame for this is the person who pulled the trigger. No one knew she was capable of this."

Blair and Sam looked up at each other. Then they stood and hugged each other. Jim went over to thank his father but stopped when he heard the waiting room doors open. "Blair, Sweetie," Naomi Sandburg said as she came in.

Blair stood frozen as Sam let go of him. Then he slowly turned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Now Blair, is that any way to talk to your mother?" she admonished.

"My mother died 17 years ago," he said as he stormed over to her. "You're just the woman who stole me from my family. You are the one who made my mother live in fear that the same thing was going to happen to my brother. And, God help you, you are the one who looked my father in the eye and shot him."

"Because he wouldn't give you back!" she yelled.

"Give me back!" Blair snapped. "I am not some piece of property! I'm a human being!"

He took a deep breath then reached around and pulled out his handcuffs. "Naomi Sandburg, you are under arrest for attempted murder and kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"Blair, sweetheart, you don't want to do this," Naomi said as he turned her around and put the handcuffs on her.

"Do you understand these rights as I have explained them?" he asked again as Simon walked in.

"Blair…" she tried again.

"Ms. Sandburg, come with me," Simon said as he came over and took her arm. "I'll take her down to the station and get her booked. We'll have a conversation about who the arresting officer was later."

Jim nodded as Blair turned and walked back over to his brother. "She won't hurt any of us again. I promise you that."

Sam nodded and hugged his brother again. "I wanted to shoot her," he whispered.

"So did I," Blair admitted. "But that's not going to help Dad. And it's not going to change anything that happened. All we can do is make sure everything is done by the book. That way she never gets out."

"Chief," Jim said as he walked over to the brothers. "He's out of surgery."

Blair and Sam turned just in time to see the doctor come in. "You're Mr. MacGyver's family?" he asked.

"Yes we are," Sam said as they walked over to him. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Your father is a lucky man," the doctor said. "Whoever did this is a lousy shot. They missed his vital organs. Our main concern was blood loss and getting the bullet out. We were concerned that his lung might collapse, but that wasn't an issue."

"When can we see him?" Blair asked.

"He's in recovery now," the doctor said as he looked at his watch. "He should be in a room in about an hour."

"ICU?" Blair asked.

"No, we should be sending him to a regular room. As I said, your father is a lucky man. I anticipate a full and speedy recovery. I'll have a nurse take you to his room after we get him settled in."

"Thank you doctor," they said as he left.

Blair hugged Sam again. "He's going to be okay."

Sam nodded and held his brother close. William looked at his son. "Jimmy, let's get them some coffee."

Jim didn't want to leave his Guide. But he knew the danger had past and Blair's family was on the road to recovery.

An hour later, Blair and Sam stood at the door to their father's room. Because of the surgery and blood loss, he looked pale. They slowly made their way into the room and stood on either side of the bed. Blair took MacGyver's hand and Sam brushed the hair off his forehead.

MacGyver started to stir. "Dad?" Sam asked softly.

MacGyver opened his eyes and looked at his youngest son. "Sam," he said softly.

"I'm here, Dad," he said as he took his father's hand. "You're going to be all right."

"Blair," he said as he turned his head toward his oldest. "Naomi."

"She's never going to hurt you again," Blair promised. "You concentrate on getting better."

"What did you do?" he asked as he squeezed Blair's hand as tightly as he could.

Blair looked over at Sam. "I tried to kill Chung," Sam explained. "He's afraid you tried to kill Naomi."

Blair nodded then looked at his father. "I didn't try to kill her. I arrested her for attempted murder and kidnapping."

"Blair, no," MacGyver started then he winced.

"Dad, calm down," Blair said as he stroked his arm like he did Jim's to bring the Sentinel out of a zone. "I know why you didn't have her arrested when he finally found me and I understand. But I decided to press charges against her for that. We'll talk about it later. You need to rest now."

MacGyver nodded and slowly closed his eyes. The nurses came in and checked on MacGyver. She smiled at the two young men huddled over their father. "He'll sleep through the rest of today. It will probably be morning before he wakes up. Why don't you two get something to eat? Take care of what needs to be taken care of at home. You can check on him again. But like I said, he'll sleep until morning. My shift's over. I'll stay with him for a while."

Blair and Sam looked at each other and nodded. "Thank you," Blair said as Sam leaned over and kissed MacGyver's forehead. "We love you Dad," he said.

Blair handed the nurse one of his business cards. "That has my work, home and cell numbers on it. Call me if anything happens."

"He's going to be just fine, sweetheart," she said as they walked out of the room.

Sam looked back inside before he closed the door. "Huh," he said as they headed down the hall.

"What?" Blair asked as they went to find Jim and William.

"I don't know," he sighed. "There was something familiar about that nurse. I just can't put my finger on it."

"Maybe you saw her when William was in the hospital," Blair suggested.

"Maybe," Sam said as he looked back toward MacGyver's room.

The nurse pulled the covers up so that his charge wouldn't get cold. Then she stroked his face. "Still as handsome as the last time I saw you. Hard to believe that was 27 years ago. I should have told you I was pregnant, Darling. But Blair was right. I was afraid Naomi would come and take Sam. So our children wound up not knowing their father as they grew up because of me. I know you told me that what happened wasn't my fault. They're handsome boys, Darling. Just like their father. And I won't let that bitch hurt you or them ever again. I promised then I would stay with you until morning. And I will. There's just one thing I have to take care of first."

She kissed his lips then disappeared. He stirred in his sleep. "Kate," he whispered.

An hour later, Blair and Jim walked into the Major Crimes bullpen with Sam and William. The older Ellison wanted to make sure Blair and Sam were able to get through the paperwork without any problems. He and MacGyver had become good friends since his heart attack, bonding over their sons. And he promised himself he would take care of MacGyver's boys while he was in the hospital."

"Blair, Jim, can I see you two in my office?" Simon asked when he saw them. "Sam, you and Mr. Ellison might want to come as well."

"What is it Simon?" Blair asked after they had all entered the captain's office and Simon shut the door. He tried not to show how scared he was but it was hard considering Simon had used his first name and asked Sam and William to come too.

"I sent Rafe and Brown down to holding to bring Naomi up so we could start questioning her," Simon started. "When they got down there, they found her in her cell, dead."

"What?" Blair asked shocked.

"What happened?" Jim asked as he kept an eye on his partner.

"We're not 100% sure," Simon sighed. "I had the surveillance tape from the cell sent up and I can't explain it. We'll know more when Dan gets the autopsy completed, but it looks like she was scared to death."

"What?" Sam asked. "Scared of what?"

"Can we see the tape?" William asked as he looked at Blair, who had been quiet through most of this.

"Yeah, sure," Simon said as he picked up the remote and pressed play.

They saw Naomi sitting in her cell, apparently meditating. Then her eyes snapped open and she started shaking her head. For a minute or two, they could see the image of a woman with long blond hair in the cell with her. Naomi started yelling. "You can't be here! You're dead! You're dead!" Then she clutched her chest and collapsed on the floor. A few minutes later, Brown and Rafe entered the cell and found Naomi's body.

"Who was in the cell with her?" William asked.

"We don't know," Simon answered. "She's not on the video before or after the couple of minutes you see her. There is no record of another prisoner being placed in the cell. And there is no record of this woman either entering or exiting the building."

"Simon, back it up to the woman," Blair said as he sat up.

Simon rewound the tape and clicked pause on the few seconds you saw the woman's face. "That's the nurse we left with Dad," he said softly.

"Oh my God," Sam said as he got up and took a closer look at the tape. Then he took the locket from around his neck. He looked at the pictures inside then handed it to Blair. "It's Mom. That's why she looked familiar."

They looked at each other and took off out the door. Jim followed and called back over his shoulder. "Simon, make sure my dad gets back to his car okay!"

Simon looked at William. "Right after we find out what's going on."

"Exactly," William said as they headed out of Simon's office.

Blair and Sam made Jim promise to stay in the waiting room while they ran to their father's room. He was still asleep and she was sitting right beside him, holding his hand. They walked in slowly and Sam knelt down beside her chair. "Mom?" he asked sounding unsure.

She turned and looked at him and smiled. "Hi Baby."

Sam wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You're alive," he cried.

"Oh, Baby, I wish I was," she said as she held onto her son. "I was given this day to settle unfinished business. I couldn't do it until you were all together again. No one expected this to happen."

She looked up and saw Blair standing there. "I didn't kill Naomi. I was told I could appear to her and everything would take care of itself. Her guilt killed her. Inchaca said that would probably happen."

"Inchaca," Blair said surprised. "You know Inchaca?"

She let go of Sam and got up and went over to her oldest son. "Yes and he wants you to know you're becoming an excellent shaman."

She looked at him for a long moment before she reached out to hold him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"Sorry for what, sweetheart?" she asked as she released him and touched his face.

"For everything you went through because of Naomi," he sighed.

"That wasn't your fault," she said as she reached out and took Sam's hand as well. "All that matters is that my family is together now."

"But you're not here," Sam argued as she reached up and wiped his tears.

"Yes, I am," she smiled. "I'm in your hearts and that's what counts. I'm just glad to have this opportunity to see you and touch you and talk to you."

"But Dad can't see you," Blair argued.

"Yes I can," MacGyver's voice came from the bed. "And I don't think she's ever looked more beautiful."

She went over to him as he raised the bed. He winced as he did. "You should be resting."

"Not yet," he said as he reached up and took her hand. Then he pulled her in for a hug. "God, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Angus," she smiled.

"You're the only one who ever got away with calling me that," he smiled. "Just had to make it Sam's middle name huh?"

"I told you when Blair was born there was nothing wrong with Angus," she laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he pulled her close and kissed her. "I wish we had more time."

"So do I," she said as she started to cry. "I have some things to tell you then I have to leave."

"I thought you said you were going to stay until the morning," Blair said as he and Sam went over to the bed.

"That was when we thought it would be morning before your father woke up," she sighed. "Ask Jim to come inside. And his father and Simon."

Blair went to the door and opened it to find his friends outside. "Jim, can you guys come in for a few minutes."

"Yeah, sure, Chief," he said as they entered the room.

"Um, this is going to be hard to explain," Blair said as he smiled a little. "Jim Ellison, William Ellison, Simon Banks, Sam and I would like for you to meet our mother, Kate Malloy."

"But I thought she was…" Simon started.

"Dead?" Kate asked. "Unfortunatly I am. But for today, I can be with my family. Captain Banks, I want to thank you for everything you have done for Blair. Your friendship and support mean a lot to him, even if he won't admit it. Mr. Ellison, thank you for being here for my boys today. They needed your strength and support to get them through everything that happened. And I'm afraid that they and MacGyver will need your help to get through my having to leave them again."

She turned to Jim and smiled at him. "Inchaca says you have faced your far and come through stronger. Your greatest fear was losing Blair and you faced it too many times and defeated it. You never asked to be a Sentinel, we know that. But if it wasn't for you and your abilities, Blair may never have found his family. You have been, and will continue to be, a wonderful big brother to Blair. And now to Sam as well."

She went over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned back to her family. "My darling Sam. I can't begin to tell you how honored I am that you decided to follow in my footsteps and become a photojournalist. You have made me proud. Enjoy this time off. You deserve it. And trust me when I tell you, your career will not suffer for it."

She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then she tuned to Blair. "My lost Angel. I knew one day we would find you. I can't tell you how sorry I am that I left that day. I should have waited for your grandmother. But you became a wonderful young man. You are caring and compassionate. You are dedicated not only to your work, but your friends and family. You inherited all of those traits and many more from your father. You will be experiencing changes in your life sooner than you think. But unlike the changes of the past couple of years, these changes won't be painful."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug then went over to MacGyver's bed. "Chief, we'll be out in the hall," Jim said knowing that this would be a painful moment for his friends.

Blair nodded as Kate sat on MacGyver's bed. She took his hand and smiled at him. "We made beautiful children together. And if it hadn't been for my fear, we would have raised Sam together and maybe found Blair sooner. But then you would never have met Pete Thornton and helped all the people you've met. The what ifs are endless, but they are also pointless. I learned that from you. I have no doubt in my mind that our boys are in good hands with you. You will give them enough love for both of us."

She leaned down and kissed him. Then she looked at her sons. "God, I miss you guys. Always remember that I love you. I will always be in your hearts, watching over you."

She kissed MacGyver again, hugged her sons one more time, then she faded away. They looked at each other and smiled knowing that she hadn't really left.

A week later, MacGyver was released from the hospital and life began to return to normal in Cascade, Washington.


End file.
